


Not Afraid of the Dark

by idigam



Series: Kingdom Hearts Φ [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Darkness, Disney villains - Freeform, Gen, Mentors, Mystery Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2020-12-16 00:17:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21027128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idigam/pseuds/idigam
Summary: Riku steps into the Darkness and away from Destiny Islands, he brings someone with him and makes mistakes.





	1. Destiny Islands

**Ten Years Ago**

He is falling, he is empty, there was nothing left, he failed… What did he fail? He knows he failed something important, that there’s no hope anymore. Nothing else matters, he has no name, no face, no identity, he was born a nothing, he existed a nothing, now he’s dying a nothing. But something inside him rails against that. He cannot be nothing, he will not be nothing, he does know that he’s suffered too much to die a nothing and a failure. Darkness within, Darkness without, he screams silently in the cold void, and somewhere a vein of darkness rooted deep in a young heart answers…

***

Riku sits on the dock looking out at the ocean that took his father, grief settling deep inside him like an icy spike going to his core._ Who are you?_ The voice is soft, a half heard whisper on the wind. “Who’s there?” Riku calls out looking around but seeing no one. _Dunno, you called me._ “I didn’t call anyone!” Riku huffs, he just wants to be alone. _Your darkness did, called me, I’m tired. Lost. Your darkness was like a beacon._ The not-quite-a-voice sounded so desperate and empty and sad. “Oh.”

Riku thought a moment he thought he wanted to be alone. To tell this voice to go away but, maybe he could help someone else and feel a little less lonely. “Well then, why don’t you rest here. Till you feel better, and know who you are.” He said and he felt that cold spike of grief dull as a new warmth filled his heart. It was a cautious thing, like it was expecting him to lash out or kick it out. _Okay_. No thanks just an ‘okay.’ “I’m Riku by the way.”

No response, maybe he’d imagined it, just trying to feel better after that day…

***

**Ten Years Later**

Riku hauls a log for the raft to the beach looking out over the sand hunting for his friends who were supposed to be helping him build the dang thing. “Wake up you lazy bum!” Kairi’s voice rings out from around the corner and Riku sighs. Of course that’s where they went. “It wasn’t a dream!” Riku looks his friends over they haven’t seen him. “I guess I’m the only one working on the raft?” They look up at him and he smiles shaking his head. “And you’re just as lazy as he is,” unrepentant Kairi smiles. “So you noticed?”

“Race?” Riku sits down giving the girl a look “what? No way.” She’s counting down anyway, Sora and he look at each other. He’s tired, he should just quit, maybe Sora will do the same. They can finally show Kairi she can’t manipulate them anymore. “GO!” She yells and Riku and Sora both leap to their feet charging across the beach. Riku jumped up grabbing the frame of the door to the seaside shack, propelling himself up to the beach and across the bridge to his island while Sora scrambled up. Kairi opting to use the stairs, behind Riku but ahead of Sora, who slips on the sand as he hauls himself up the side. Riku hoists himself up on the island smirking at Sora, controlling his breathing to hide how much he pushed himself. “Looks like I win lazies.” Sora and Kairi both stick their tongues out. “Only because you’re a tall freak of nature,” Sora pants at him.

Riku’s smirk gets a bit more dangerous. “Oh yeah? Ready to put your money where your mouth is?” He pulls out his wooden sword, Sora grabs his, “anytime anywhere Riku.” Kairi stands back, “yeah no, I’m gonna go wait by the door to the other side of the island. Sora come find me when you’re ready to pull your weight.” Riku readies his sword and Sora charges him. The two of them clashing echoes across the island, the ‘clack, clack, clack’ of wooden swords advertising to everyone on the island that Riku and Sora are still trying to decide who’s number one. Namely by beating the tar out of each other.

First round goes to Riku, surprising Sora with a spring kick when he’s on the ground that vaults his best friend off the edge of the island. “Cheap shot Riku” a very soggy Sora pouts. “Try harder then; one to zero.” Sora glares daggers at him before charging again, another attempted spring kick ends up with Riku vaulted off the island, Sora having ducked at the last second and Riku’s own strength carrying him over the edge. “One to one now!” Sora brags triumphantly, before Riku can regain his lead a dangerously annoyed Kairi screams at them “we’re burning daylight you two! Sora come down and do your share you two can beat each other senseless tomorrow!”

The rest of the day is taken up with constructing the raft out of the supplies Sora gathered. Neither Sora nor Riku would admit that their splinter covered hands had anything to do with them racing each other to see who could build more raft than the other. Kairi won the race because “I didn’t have to stop every five minutes pulling bits of wood out of my fingers.” Now on the small island overlooking the sea, turned pink with the setting sun. “So” Sora breaks the silence his feet kicking slightly, “Kairi’s home is out there somewhere right?” Riku crosses his arms, because they’ll never know for sure drifting in circles, and on these islands that’s the only place to go. In circles. “Could be,” he replies casually, “we’ll never know by staying here.”

Sora leans over “how far could a raft take us?” Riku being the older is often asked the practical yes or no questions from Sora. “Who knows. If we need to, we’ll think of something else.” No matter what they’ll get off this island, they’ll find a new world. Kairi doesn’t ask him the practical questions, hers are often both more personal and more whimsical, “so suppose you get to another world.” She giggles, “what would you do there?” _Whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want_, but that’s not the kind of answer they’d want. “Well, I haven’t really thought about it. It’s just… I’ve always wondered, why we’re here on this island. If there are other worlds out there; why’d we end up on this one?” Not an untrue answer. “And, suppose there _are_ other worlds out there. Then we’d just be a little part of something greater. And we could just as easily ended up somewhere else right?”

Sora lays back, hands behind his head, “I unno.” He’s getting bored with this line of thinking. “Exactly,” Riku’s too far down his usual line of thinking, “which is why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won’t change a thing. It’s just the same old stuff.” He misses the way Kairi shakes her head, but Sora shoots him a fascinated look. “So let’s go.” Kairi looks at him hard, “you’ve been thinking about this a lot haven’t you?” He turns, “thanks to you. If you hadn’t come here I would never have thought of any of this.” Never would have considered anything more than this tiny nowhere prison. “So Kairi, thank you.” Kairi’s laugh takes on an embarrassed edge, “you’re welcome.”

Deciding to end the day with a one up on Sora Riku calls his name, and tosses one of the star shaped fruit to him. “You wanted one didn’t you?” He looks at it frowning, face scrunched up in thought. “A paopu fruit?” Riku strides across the bridge past him, “if two people share one their destinies become intertwined. They’ll remain a part of each other’s lives, no matter what.” Then in a teasing tone. “Come on I know you want to try it;” he waves to where Kairi is walking across the beach, laughing when Sora’s confused “what are you—” and his face turns bright red. He chucks it aside as Riku runs ahead laughing at his expense.

***

In a far-off world, the royal courtiers of a king ruling over a kingdom filled with light and magic. Find their king’s throne empty and deliberate over the strange and cryptic letter he left in his place. Riku watches the beach from his back porch, just two more days and they’ll be ready to sail. That’s when he notices him, the stranger in rags standing on the beach, waist deep in the surf. “Hey!” he yells at the man, anywhere else on the island it’d be fine but Riku’s home is near a drop off. Another step and that guy’s fish food, he runs up to them, “the door has appeared. The world is connected. Soon it will open.” The man turns and Riku’s breath hitches for a moment, there’s no face, just darkness in the shapeless hood. “When shadows spill out from it. Will you have the courage to seize your way off this island?”

Riku looks back for a moment wondering where this guy came from. When he turns back the man is gone. No cloth, no foot prints, no bubbles or splash. A ghost. Riku shakes the thought off. Sure there are myths of water wraiths foretelling disaster, but Riku’s never been one for superstition.

***

The next day Riku finds himself confronted by Tidus, Sephie, and Wakka. Tidus, as the current self appointed leader marches up to him grinning madly. “Ready to get taken down a notch?” Riku arcs an eyebrow and ready his stance. Countering Wakka’s spike shot by swinging his sword like a logging ax to smack it into Tidus temporarily takes both of them out of commission, Sephie twirling her rope around he prevents him from getting close. So he thrusts his sword forward and manages to tanlge the rope around it. One swift smack on the head and she’s down. Wakka’s already retrieved his ball, he throws it in a way that forces Riku to dodge instead of smacking it again. So Riku in turn decides to chuck Sephie’s rope, tangling Wakka’s feet and causing him to face plant. “That was fun, but I’m meeting Sora and Kairi, later.”

Looking out over the ocean in contemplation Riku doesn’t notice Sora approach about forty minutes later. Not until the younger boy addresses him. “Hey Riku!” He nods, “our raft still needs a name.” He pretends to think, like he hadn’t decided already. “lets see… How about Highwind?” Sora makes a noise telling Riku what he thinks of the name. Riku smirks raising a brow “What would you call it smart guy?” Sora grins, “Excalibur!” Riku rolls his eyes, “well then, how about...” Sora’s grin gets competitive, “the usual?” Riku grins himself, “let’s do it!” Kairi saunters up with an exasperated sigh, “you guys at it again?” The two just shrug, while she shakes her head laughing, “all right I’ll be the judge.”

Sora looks at his friend, “if I win, I’m captain, and if you win?” Riku knows exactly how to throw his friend, “I get to share the paopu with Kairi.” He knows his jab worked by the “huh!?” His grin gets sly, looking at Sora, “Deal? The winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi.” Sora looks slightly panicked “Wha! Wait a minute!” Before he can say anything Kairi announces, “okay on my count!” And they both need to ready themselves. Taking off Sora gets a lead on the rickety portion of the bridge but has to pull himself up not jumping off in time letting Riku get to the ladder and zip line first. That lead clinches it for the older boy who can manage the tree tops without much difficulty. When they both make it back manage to get back, panting, Sora hot on his friends heels Riku whips around triumphant. “All right, we’re naming the raft Highwind.” Sora scowls at his friend.

Sora stomps up to him later while he goes towards the tide pools looking for crabs and mussels for a stew pot. “What?” He glares and Riku smiles, “oh that paopu thing? That was just a joke. You should have seen your face!” Sora socks him in the arm, which yeah okay he deserves. “Dirty pool Riku!” Riku just shrugs, “you got your own stuff to collect yeah?” Sora scoffs, “yeah, yeah, I’ll get you for that.” Riku shoots over his shoulder, “we could run the course again?” Sora makes a face, “I’ll pass.”

Riku hands off his supplies to Kairi, smiling at her. “Thanks again for the idea.” She looks at him kind of odd. “Not staying today?” Riku shakes his head, “gotta help my mom close shop.”

***

That night there’s a storm, the sky fills with darkness, Riku runs to the docks. “Gotta make sure the raft is okay!” When he gets there he sees Kairi get in her rowboat, paddling out likely for the same reason as him. “KAIRI!” He shouts but his voice is lost in the howling winds whipping up a frenzy over the islands. Running to the boat he follows her, he can’t let her get hurt. Not after his all this. Not when this time he has the ability to stop someone he cares about from going out on the sea boiling like a soup pot. Powering through it is difficult work, the sea resisting him, Kairi seems to not notice him or his struggling, instead rowing onward, the ocean apparently not able affect her smooth steady pace. Blinded he fails to see her get to the island.

Panting he docks, looking over at the other boat, “at least she made it.” He looks around, not being able to see her. But he does see something. The sackcloth man standing on his island looking up at the sky hands raised as though in worship. Riku runs to him, but is stopped on the beach by shadowy monsters rising out of the sand. Snarling he brings down his wooden sword on them. “Out of my way!” They remain unaffected by it but as small as they are it’s easy to sweep them aside. Running to the island the figure again barely seems to register his presence, “the door has finally opened. Connecting this prison of a world to all the others.” Riku’s eyes widen, this is no water wraith, this is a visitor from another world. “The door is open?” The figure turns and nods, “yes, the tapestry of creation lies spread before you. Should you have the courage to seize it.” Riku looks around, the shadows are coming across the bridge. “Step into the darkness, show no fear and embrace it’s power. Do that and nothing, least of all these trivial things, can stop you.” He holds up shrouded arm and the shadows stop. Like loyal hounds told to heel.

Another boat rows up and Riku notices Sora, he also notices the ball of dark energy, like a stain of oil in the sky. “Will you escape this place?” The man disappears drawn into the dark, cast somewhere beyond the time and space Riku understands. Closing his eyes he can feel it, the path of darkness from the islands to another place. Another world, he knows it and can feel it instinctively. “Where’s Kairi? I thought she was with you!” Sora’s voice breathless with fear and desperation, both of which Riku can hear but not heed. Not so close to his escape; “the door has opened...” Sora is incredulous, “what!?” Riku turns excited childlike glee on his face “the door has opened Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!” Sora doesn’t look happy, _why? __I__sn’t this what we’ve dreamed of?_ “What are you talking about we’ve gotta find Kairi!” Ah that’s why, that’s what this is about. “Kairi’s coming with us!” There’s a mad fervor to his own voice, but Sora needs to understand. Not to fear the darkness.

“Once we step through there’s no turning back. We may never see our parents again. There’s no turning back!” His voice is sharp, he needs it to be. To reassure Sora and himself. This is the right choice. “But this may be our only chance. We can’t let fear stop us! I’M NOT AFRAID OF THE DARKNESS!” And just like that through sheer stubborn determination it was true, the clarity of it washed over Riku as he held out his hand for Sora. To be the bridge between Sora and the worlds. The shadows spread across him like an embrace stirring something inside his heart. “Riku...” Sora sounds hesitant he can’t be hesitant, not now. Sora reaches to him but he’s being repelled, no held back, he’s afraid, and hesitant. The darkness is holding him back in response. A pity, he cannot grasp Riku’s hand and is instead flung back. Ensconced in darkness another something is repelled from Riku, a terribly strong power that bounces off his cocoon of shadows and towards the island he’s rapidly leaving behind.


	2. Hollow Bastion

Riku wakes up coughing up wisps of darkness, on a rock, bricks beneath his body. Spray hitting his face. Waking he worries all he did was hallucinate and he’s just back on the island. But no, the air is different, colder, stale. Looking up at the pink sky and waterfalls. No, not quite right, the water is rising. Water rises then? There are also bubbles, and he notices, islands, like the one he’s on, defying gravity. “Weird,” he looks around, he’s alone, no Sora, nor Kairi, the islands are gone. He shudders, feeling like some horrible disaster has befallen them and him. Dipping his hand into a fall he confirms its upward movement is no visual trick. He slaps his face with his wet hands waking himself up fully.

“Okay Riku, you’re alone, on a new world, first things first, get your bearings and find supplies. At least I don’t see any monsters this time around. Maybe I can get to a higher island riding the current...” Standing he steps onto the water, not into, onto, proving that physics here is all kinds of warped the water takes his weight, splashing like pavement after a rain fall. “Well that makes things easier,” from the water he’s able to jump to one of the floating islands. And nearly misses one as it rises ever higher. Grasping the edge it carries him up, but he can’t jump to the next before it lowers again. “Dammit,” then the platform raises again. Rubbing his head after taking the leap to the next level. “Okay, you can do this Riku, new world new rules, all you need to do is figure them out.”

A few more hops and he’s to the next moving platform and the next level, tired, annoyed, and frustrated. There are treasure chests, but they are all locked. Forcing him to move on, in addition a strange symbol, three hearts bound in a circle. He can feel a small hum of power but there’s nothing to it. No access to said power. He arrives and a ruined stone archway, before a massive castle. “Wish I could get there...” And like that, a beam of sparking light reaches the stone archway carrying a platform like a giant bird cage with it.

“Ominous.” Still he steps onto the platform which quickly brings him to the main gate of the castle. Unfortunately, barred to him. That’s when a number of strange shadowy balls with teeth pull themselves out of warps in the air. He swings his wooden sword but despite his strength and their strange almost weightless movement they are not so easily moved as the shadows. One opens its maw wide and charges. He rounds on it in time to see the sackcloth man step around a corner. Deciding it’s better than staying here and waiting for more of those monsters to appear Riku ducks below one narrowly avoiding a small dive-bombing dragon in the process. He makes his way to a geometric device surrounded by crackling energy that summons another platform.

***

The Platform takes him to a massive canyon hewn from what looks like crystal, with more water he can walk on. More of the darkball monsters show up the figure gestures at the bubble before walking into the one of the walls. “Right ghost” Riku jumps into the bubble and is brought below the surface, this world’s laws lack all reason as far as he can tell. Still it gets him past the wall and into the waterworks of this place. The sackcloth man is there, “alright who are you and why are you stringing me along?” The figure turns it’s not-face to him, “you stepped into the darkness, heedless of fear. Perhaps you will be the one to open the door.” Riku scowls, “you said the door was already opened, why do I have to open another door?”

“That was the door to a single world. Kingdom Hearts is the door to all worlds.” Then it cocks its head to the side as though studying him. “Or would rather remain here for the rest of your short life?” Riku steps forward, not his plan to stay anywhere, if one world has to be a prison he might as well have stayed on the islands, they’d at least been pleasant. “What happened to the islands? To Sora, and Kairi?” The man turns and holds out a shrouded limb, “gone and scattered respectively. To travel the worlds you needed no more shackles, your heart opened the door to darkness, and the ashes of your world built your bridge here.”

Riku’s heart stopped, had he? Had he really destroyed the islands with his wish? That wasn’t what he wanted, not at all, he’d wanted to leave but not. “You’re lying,” the figure makes a gesture and the wall opens to reveal a circular platform. “Search your heart all you want you will see that it is true.” Riku puts his hand over his heart, there is nothing, not any of the usual feelings when he thinks of home, just darkness. “Reach into that darkness if you want the island’s loss to mean anything. Grasp your fury and despair and shape it.” A strange knight like creature appears on the platform holding a shield with a three eyed dog on the front. The dog barks and gnashes its teeth spittle flying. “If you want to survive that is.” It shoots fire at Riku forcing him to dodge.

“Can’t you be less cryptic and more helpful! I can’t fight if I’m as dead as you are!” The figure is unmoved, “pain is the fastest teacher on the left-handed path.” Snarling Riku reaches rushing the creature he can feel it, the gaze of an aquamarine eye, in his hand appears a sword he cuts the next fireball in half, resulting in burns across his knuckles. But the sword strikes true and the creature fades, collapsing in on itself with a wisp of dark energy falling away into nothing. The sword nearly shapeless disappears. “Good, now, go forth and seek your path to Kingdom Hearts if you truly desire the safety of your friends.” Riku steps onto the platform which rises with merely a thought and push of his will.

***

The next room must be the hub for those platforms Riku thinks, they are everywhere here. Riding across beams of light, tool boxes or perhaps more chests on floating platforms just out of reach. Frowning Riku moves on the path spiraling upward, the platforms he can access being less helpful than he’d hoped. That is until he finds a panel, pressing it the wall swings away to reveal a massive library. Books of all sizes, colors, and thickness decorating the structure, warm light he can hear two voices from up above. “Listen, not that I’m not grateful you’ve given me a way to circumvent lightening for brains and his muscle-bound spawn but we had a deal. You help me put an end to Herc the jerk’s streak with your heartless _then_ I help you get this ‘Kingdom Hearts’ not the other way around.” The first voice has the affable slipperiness of a loan shark.

Another voice, female, dark as night, sweet as sin, and smooth as silk; “the more of the princesses we collect the more the heartless grow their numbers and the more powerful the heartless that appear. We tip the worlds closer to darkness with each one we possess. If you want a heartless strong enough to destroy a demigod then we will need more than three princesses.” The other voice huffs, “we’ve got half of them already.” Riku comes up the stairs in view of them, “what’s this about princesses and Kingdom Hearts.” He’s never been one to feel a need to bother with the social niceties of adults. There are two, both in dark robes, though one is male, has the pale blue skin of a corpse and fire for hair. The second is a woman with pale green skin and off-putting yellow eyes, a horned headdress on her like a crown. The man pulls up a fireball in his hand. Riku has his wooden sword and curses, his surprise unable to be honed into his dark blade.

The woman holds up a hand and the man douses the flame. “I was under the impression you and the others had taken care of all the castle’s inhabitants?” The man shrugs, “ask your heartless not me.” She seems inclined to do just that as another wyvern appears with a flick of her wrist, a crow or maybe a raven following behind it. Landing on her staff it lets out a rough barking call. She smiles and looks at Riku, causing him to tense, “now dear boy, according to Diablo here you are not from this world. That you came here through the darkness.” The fire haired man tenses and does a double take, “really? HIM? He’s a punk kid!?” Riku glowers, “I bet I could beat you down to size flamesilocks.”

“Enough!” The woman’s voice cuts through the chatter, “are we not all beings of darkness here? Should we not all desire to help each other achieve our goals?” Seeming to sense where this is going the fire man holds up his hands. “Fine, you give em the rundown then.” With a burst of smoke and flame he disappears. “I am Maleficent, welcome to my castle. I do hope the heartless didn’t give you too much trouble.

***

Riku finishes his story as the woman, Maleficent idly stroking her bird, Diablo. “A fascinating story, and how similar to my own tale. I too desired to be unbound from the shackles of my world.” Riku looks at her, “did yours fall too?” She nods, looking a little sad, “yes, a pity but that is the price to break those chains, the world must be cast aside. Though I found a way to undo that tragedy.” Riku leans in, “Kingdom Hearts?” She smiles, “perhaps later, for now we must know each other yes? You came barging into my castle, you cannot expect me to reveal all its secrets at once.”

Riku crosses his arms, his face still set in a suspicious frown, that only seems to amuse her, which only annoys him. “So, you command those monsters?” She laughs, “ah yes, the heartless. I command the ones here, and I can command the ones on another world should I go there, but alas not even I possess the power to command them all. Were that I could they would not be able to consume anymore hearts, nor anymore worlds.” Riku looks up at this, “what do you mean?!” She smiles, “why, it’s simple, the heartless flow into a world whose door is open, they come from the darkness seeking the darkness in other’s hearts. You didn’t think simply wishing the door open doomed your world, did you?” The flush creeping up Riku’s neck was enough of a giveaway, “oh dear boy, a simple wish can be powerful true, but no wish on its own has the power to ruin a world.

Then her eyes narrow, and she watches him, “now, what I want to know, how did you get past my guards? This world has been brought quite close to darkness. So they are stronger than those on your island.” Riku holds out his hand tapping into the feelings before and lets the bat wing shaped blade fall into his palm. Its weight comforting like it was meant to be there. The witch’s eyes light up with dark intent, “oh, this is a surprise. A Souleater Blade, your heart must be _VERY_ dark indeed for you to have called one of them forth.” Riku tightens his grip on it and she waves off his discomfort, “oh do not fret, all the hearts of this castle are dark in some way, it’s how we are able to drive off or command the heartless. That blade is your strength, you musn’t disdain it dear boy.” Something about the words ‘dear boy chafes Riku, he dislikes them, but for now swallows his remark. “There are others here?”

***

Riku is given an opportunity to explore the castle, the heartless being instructed to leave him alone. Wandering he finds a number of ruined corridors. The whole place looks like it was the site of a battle, singed portions across half the walls. As he moves many heartless appear, bustling around the whole area. More dog-shield knights, darkballs, little flying bell-shaped things that toss around spells when agitated, small shadows like the ones that appeared on destiny islands. Now that they aren’t trying to rip his face of, they’re pretty cute, Riku prods one with Souleater and it shrinks away from him, one of the green bell heartless floats over it and both creep away from him.

A ruined kitchen has a small selection of snacks in it, an even smaller number of those being edible. Doesn’t matter, better than nothing, so he takes some, taking a certain relish in grabbing some from the drawer labeled ‘Pete’s stash do not touch.’ A couple heartless in clattering helmets tromp through the kitchens to start preparing a couple small items, likely under Maleficent’s command Riku wonders if she uses them as effectively servants.

The library is less interesting, full of dusty books with complex esoterica that Riku cannot start to comprehend. Mathematical and magical formula detailing a number of physics and metaphysical concepts that read like a foreign language. He finds a book of castle inhabitants and opts to take it with him to study.

As Riku walks around one of the balcony paths leading from one castle floor to another. Diablo flies in through a window, down to the balcony he’s standing on, and craws at him before turning and flying off. Riku puts two fingers in his mouth and lets out a sharp high whistle. A wyvern heartless dive down grabbing him by the shoulders and carrying him off towards the door leading to the chapel. Maleficent’s meeting with her group. He can see a number of odd characters, a tall angular man with a cobra staff. A walking sack bulging in odd areas and moving disturbingly and a woman with the lower body of an octopus Riku is interrupted from his thoughts by a voice.

“So I hear you’re joining our little crew,” the fire haired man, “Hades lord of the dead how ya doin?” He offers his hand, Riku walks past him, “Riku.” Hades looks mildly annoyed, the walking bag man laughs, “don’t take it personally. No one wants to shake your corpse hands.” Hades growls, “stuff it you bag of bugs. Or I’ll roast your crickets.” The two begin to bicker, “oh, you almost seem a poor unfortunate soul, but you’re not, you’re one of us.” The octopus woman slides over to him, “Ursula darling. Please.” She smiles, “if you ever swing by Atlantica look me up.” She winks at him, “I’ll give you a discount.”

***

The other allies of Maleficent, _am I really her ally? For now_. He decides so long as he needs her help. He still has to find Sora and Kairi. He finds her in the library, a book with a heavy fade cover that may have once been dark teal. She closes it allowing Riku to get a look at the cover, a winged heart design. “Interesting book?” The witch looks at him slightly askance, and then smiles, “very. Perhaps one day you’ll be advanced enough in your use of the darkness to make use of it.”

Riku’s curiosity piques and he tries to examine it which only seems to amuse Maleficent as she puts it away. “Perhaps once you have been a member of our little organization long enough to learn our ways.” Riku looks up, because she has mentioned the groups goals, restoring the worlds lost to darkness in their travels to other worlds. However, nothing was ever given with regards to how they planned to do it. How? She echoed the ghost’s words about the Kingdom Hearts. But what is Kingdom Hearts? Unwilling to join up with people who will tell him nothing.

“What is Kingdom Hearts?” He asks following behind her. Maleficent makes a contemplative noise. “An interesting question, but one impossible to answer.” He glares, “how?!” She smirks, “How would you answer a child raised in a cave when they ask, ‘what is the sky?’” Riku looks up and frowns, “I guess I’d say everything above us but that’s….” She smirks, “not wholly accurate?” Riku growls, “alright fine. But how is it supposed to help us?” To that Maleficent’s smile becomes less infuriatingly condescending. “That’s a much better question. Kingdom Hearts would be best described as the means to change the world. Because for the ease of explanation it is the world, all worlds. Opening the door to it opens the door to all worlds.

Riku stops and his annoyance morphs into a grin as he can see where this is going, “all worlds? Including those lost to darkness?” Maleficent nods, “and the World of Darkness itself. With access to the heart of all worlds we can remake the world in any way. To open that door we need a special key, one made with seven pure lights.” Riku looks up at her, “I’m guessing it’s not so easy as lighting seven candles or making seven balls of magic light.” Maleficent actually laughs at that, “that assessment puts you a step above Oogie and Hook.” Riku laughs, “they actually suggested that seriously?” Causing the witch to sigh, “now you see what I have to deal with.”

They walk through the halls of Hollow Bastion discussing the means to access other worlds, “we do have some methods, but the easiest means would be to use the darkness. Unfortunately, without the means to inure yourself to the more corrosive effects of it, your heart would not survive.” He turns on her, “my heart’s not weak!” She simply walks on ignoring his outburst, “we shall see.”

***

Riku has taken to honing his ability with Souleater against the heartless of the castle. Clearing out the basement levels, apparently opening the doors to other worlds for them to search for those pure lights allows the heartless of that world to slip into this one. Already he’s fought green armored divers that followed the octopus woman from her world. They were easy to handle though, a couple rocks to annoy them and draw them up onto the shore where they are clumsy in addition to stupid. Even easier since they couldn’t figure out how to dive into the solid water in the basement level. Maleficent said that the heartless will follow her direction to a point but these strays may be drawn to the keyhole of Kingdom Hearts they are constructing. The reason she rarely ever leaves Hollow Bastion, though the man called Jaffar or Hades often keep the Keyhole in her absence.

Oogie and Hook he’d learned, despite having hearts steeped in darkness couldn’t control the heartless themselves. Neither could he, but he was practicing pushing them with his will, causing them to pause long enough to strike. Though unfortunately it’s still easier and less risky to just strike them down. To the point where he’d only risk it with the small casters or the shadows. Very useful for the yellow and green casters which often float infuriatingly over sheer drops out of range of his sword. Three of the yellow heartless, he’d since learned are called yellow operas, are giving him trouble.

“Hey kid, having a good time?” Hades, Riku curses under his breath, the death god was infuriating. Always attempting to ingratiate with him. “What do you want?” Hades tsks, “touchy, touchy. Is it so hard to imagine I want to help you out?” Riku glares, “out of the goodness of your heart.” Hades appears next to him, “not really, but these things are pests for us too.” He tosses a trio of fireballs over his shoulder obliterating the yellow operas. Blowing the smoke from his finger he offers a sharp toothed smirk. “So wanna learn?” Riku pushes past him, “only if you’re going to be useful. I’d rather do something useful with my time than target shooting.”

The two shoot down a cadre of the little bells and a host of small monkey’s that had appeared hanging from the gates and chandeliers, “tch, I told her watching the keybrat take out that Clayton chump would just lead them here.” Riku’s ears perk up, “Key?” Weren’t they looking for a key? “Yeah, mythical keyblade, opens any lock.” Riku turns to him and snarls, “why haven’t we taken it?” Hades holds up his hands “yeesh cool yer jets kid, the key’s very particular and I don’t think it’ll be ditching Sora anytime soon.” That stops Riku cold, then he beams, “Sora has it? Spikey brown hair? A bit too reckless for his own good?” Hades laughs, “says the kid that jumped straight into the darkness tearing apart his island.” Riku looks away, then Maleficent’s voice calls out, “unfortunately I doubt he would be as happy to see you. His new friends seem to be the focus of his attention.”

Hades grins, “ah yes, the king’s minions.” Riku’s heard them mention this king before; apparently he’s been trying to keep them from getting the lights they need. Maleficent said she sent her servant to deal with him. None of the others seemed confident he’d be successful, though it seemed the distraction was all they needed. Riku laughs, “don’t worry, Sora’s good at making friends, but he’s still one of us. Let me talk to him and you’ll see.”


	3. Traverse Town

Traverse Town

Riku stalks through the chambers of hallow bastion with an annoyed sigh. Maleficent doesn’t want him to go charging after Sora, not right away anyway, not until they can set up a time to meet on their terms not the king’s. He doesn’t know what the witch’s beef with the king is but she’s convinced that Sora’s new friends will have driven him away from Riku. “When we find Kairi then Sora will definitely come with us.”

“If you say so,” the voice was hollow an echo of an echo. Riku turned to face the wraith, crossing his arms with a smirk. “I was wondering when I’d see your ugly face again.” The figure cocked it’s head, “Oh right you haven’t got one. My mistake.” Riku rolled his eyes, “geez dead or not you could really stand to grow a sense of humor.”

The figure simply followed behind him, “not dead, I split myself apart quite intentionally.” Riku made a face, “Why?” The figure said nothing nor made any noise but Riku go the distinct insufferable feeling that it was laughing at him and _that_ bugged him. “Perhaps you can learn enough to understand, you know more than Sora but that is saying little.” Riku pulled souleater, “what’s that supposed to mean?” But the figure was already fading, at least he was courteous enough to leave a gate behind him.

Riku grit his teeth but that figure was linked to his souleater, his coming here, and he didn’t come this far to get the brush off from a dusty old ghost.

*

He stepped out into the a new world, the stale cool air of Hollow Bastion easily giving way to the warm night of a new place. A small ramshackle town, no not quite ramshackle, it was a hodgepodge of buildings and designs that much is true but each building is well loved and well kept. Stepping out of the darkness Riku inhales the smell of baking bread from somewhere down the road. It reminds him of home, of Destiny Islands. He smiles to himself and walks towards it, it will be nice to find a place with actual people for once.

A sharp yipping distracts him from his daydream. “Huh, hey there little guy,” a dalmatian puppy wrestling with his shoe laces. “Hey, that’s not a toy you know.” He bends down and scoops up the playful critter. “Where do you belong huh?” The dog barks twice then squirms out of his grasp, running off towards another part of the town. “Hey come back!” He jogs after the dog, rounding the corner and into a house, where a woman with blonde hair done up in a bun turns to face him.

“Oh! Hello!” Riku stops and he can feel his face heating he just barged into someone’s home chasing after a dog. “Uh, hi, your dog...” he looks around at a large collection of scampering puppies eyes going wide, there had to be at least twenty in here “dogs?” She chuckles, “yes that would be true, though,” her eyes look sad, “we are missing a few.” Riku looks around but doesn’t say anything, “luckily a young man with spiky brown hair and blue eyes has been bringing them home to us.”

Riku looks up at that “Sora?” She nods, “so many people have been coming here from all the worlds lost to the heartless, it’s gotten so dangerous around here. It’s nice to have people around to help.” She looks up, “we do what we can but more people arrive each day. And some of them are in a really bad state.”

Riku looks at her askance, “maybe I can help, I’m Riku by the way.” she looks at him and he smiles flexing a bit. “Sora and I grew up together and anything he can do I can do.” She chuckles, “well maybe you can help me, I have to run lunch to my husband at the hotel, but someone needs to watch the puppies. That work for you?” He nods, “just stay here, help if I’m needed, give these little guys some exercise?” She nods, “Exactly! Thank you Riku.” Riku looks curiously past her hearing some sort of commotion out the back door behind her but the woman glances at the clock, “oh shoot, I’ll be right back okay?” Before he can respond she’s out the door.

“I hope she knows what she’s doing this place is crawling with heartless still. I can sense it. He could, the presences weren’t as strong as those in Hollow Bastion but he could feel them crawling along, slinking around in the shadows. The puppies start barking and yelping excitedly and Riku distracted from his musings on the heartless turns towards them. “Alright alright, I’m coming!”

Most of the time is spent playing with the puppies listening to them chase each other, no calls though, nothing for the lady of the house. The place is just as quiet as Hollow Bastion. When the woman returns he leaves, finding the mysterious figure outside waiting for him. “Alright I know you didn’t lead me here to play with some puppies, what’s your angle?”

“You wish to find Kairi? You must find Sora.” With that he vanishes Riku charging up to him ready to try punching him ghost or not. Riku could still feel it the charge in the air and ripple in the darkness. But he’s gone Riku’s fist connects with empty air. “Bastard.” He looks at his closed fist, “might be a useful trick though.”

*

Making his way to the third district Riku takes out his frustration on any heartless that appear, relishing cleaving them apart with his souleater. Anger and bitterness swelling inside him fueling the strength of his strikes. “Dammit, every step forward is just another problem.” He growls, then he hears it, the door behind him at the end of the third district sliding up. Sora steps through it, he almost does a double take but two soldiers appear, ready to attack the keybearer. No way, no stupid heartless is going to take out one of his friends. He dispatches them with a single strike.

“There you are, what’s going on?” he smiles light and easy, maybe things are looking better. Even if Sora decides the first thing he ought to do is stick his grubby fingers in Riku’s mouth, _ugh seriously Sora?_ “Hey! Hey, cut it out!” Sora looks him up and down visibly relieved, “I’m not dreaming this time; right?” _Heh, same old Sora, Maleficent doesn’t know what she’s talking about._ “I hope not, it took forever to find you.”

Sora’s look of disbelief breaks into a happy smile “Riku!” They walk back towards the entrance to the first district, “wait a second where’s Kairi?” Riku stops, and rounds on Sora, “isn’t she with you?” Sora looks down, crestfallen, and that hurts more than losing the islands. “Well, don’t worry… I’m sure she made it off the island to.” He’s never been good at being the cheerful one, but he’s gotta at least try. “We’re finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now. We’ll all be together again soon don’t worry!” Yeah, he’s the older of them, he’s been training with Maleficent and Hades and learning to use the darkness. He’ll be able to bring them all together. “Just leave everything to me, I know this--”

The energy hum of a potent weapon and the sound of a fading heartless rings out as Riku turns to see Sora finishing one off. He smiles, cocky, too sure of himself with the keyblade. _Maleficent was right about that, but, surely not the rest, Sora wouldn’t_… “Leave it to who?”

“S-sora, what did you--” He lowers his weapon, “I’ve been looking for you and Kairi too, with their help.” Riku finally looks over and acknowledges the strange characters following Sora around nodding along with his words, _Maleficent wasn’t lying about them either_. “Who are they?” He hates how tight his voice sounds. “Ahem my name is-” the duck starts before being cut off. “We visited so many places and worlds looking for you!”

_Really?_ If what he’d seen and heard from the others Sora was playing around on other worlds, and it doesn’t look like the rumors were false. “Really, I never would have guessed.” Maybe he feels a bit hostile, after all Kairi’s not here, he’s been training hard to find a way to Sora and her and he’s found new friends and going to all sorts of new places without him. “Oh and guess what? Sora’s the keyblade master!” The dog-thing this time.

The duck makes a snide remark triggering some bickering between he and Sora, _huh, the keyblade, doesn’t seem so special,_ he takes Sora’s distraction as an opportunity to reach out to it with his senses. It comes to his hand readily enough. “So this is called a keyblade?” Sora looks dumbfounded, “HEY! GIVE IT BACK!” Riku hops back causing Sora to fall on his face, “heh, catch.” He prefers his souleater anyway. “Okay so you’re coming with us right? We’ve got this awesome rocket!” Another thing Soar picked up without him. “Wait til you see it!” The duck pipes up again “NO! He can’t come!” Sora starts arguing with him again and sure, nice to know that he’s safe but Riku’s over this, let him play with these weirdos. He reaches into the power of darkness remembering the sensation he felt when the ghost appeared and disappeared. Flicker stepping to the wall behind the group. He watches Sora enter the house following slowly behind and out of sight.

“Not the reunion you were hoping for?” The witch’s voice takes him by surprise. “What do you want?” Three other people are in the house Sora entered talking with him with the ease of familiarity. He feels so replaced, he’d kept himself distant from Maleficent’s little posse because they weren’t his friends. But here’s Sora walking around like he and Kairi don’t matter. “You see, it’s just as I told you.” She was talking again, this time Riku’s listening, “while you toiled away trying to find your dear friend. He quite simply replaced you with some new companions.” He stares at Sora through the window, the carefree friendliness he thought was reserved for he and Kairi given wholly to someone who told Riku to get lost. “Evidently, now he values them far more than he does you. You’re better off without that wretched boy. Now think no more of him and come with me. I’ll help you find what you’re searching for.”

He follows her through the dark portal, “how do I know you’re any better than him?” Maleficent sighs “oh I’d hope that you would trust me but, I understand that’s something that mus t be built.” She leads him into the darkness, the stale air of Hollow Bastion’s cathedral.

*

She beckons for him to follow her through a side passage, into the lift hub, this time to the place he hadn’t been given access to. “I found information on someone you might be eager to see during my own trip to Traverse Town.” She steps into a massive great hall, an enormous dark portal taking up the view, he looks around to see four princesses asleep in glass cases. “Who are they?” Maleficent doesn’t spare them a glance, “the Princesses of Heart.” Guiding him to the top of the stairs he sees a number of strange controls. “This is the keyhole that will open to Kingdom Hearts. Once all seven Princesses are here they keyhole will be complete.”

“Right,” Riku doesn’t really care, he could bring the islands back but without Kairi or Sora it doesn’t matter. “Now allow me to show you something,” Maleficent waves her hand and a translucent image appears on the floor before the keyhole. A sleeping figure, no, not just any figure a girl, “KAIRI!” Riku runs to the image “where is she?” Maleficent places a hand on his shoulder, “on another world. Jafar has been having some trouble securing a princess.” She opens a portal back down the hall. “Go assist him and I will have her location by the time you return.”


End file.
